


The Lodge

by JMDeLoach



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Time Alone, Wayhaught - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-09-24 08:30:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20355484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JMDeLoach/pseuds/JMDeLoach
Summary: Nicole invites Waverly to go with her to the US to a week long, Black Badge sponsored training conference. The lure of day spas and room service, not to mention getting alone time with her favorite redhead, is too much for Waverly to pass up. But when things go sideways The Lodge will test the limits of the women's young relationship.





	1. A Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in a time that doesn't exist in the show: Nicole is happily an agent for Black Badge AND Waverly and Nicole are having sex. Other than that, should be canon.

Waverly awoke with a jolt as Nicole fell face first onto the other side of the bed. “Jesus Christ, babe,” she said with a start. “Did you have to do that?” As she sat up, she noticed the trail Nicole’s uniform made from the door to the bed: shoes, utility belt, pants, hat, shirt. Everything she had been wearing except the matching dark blue, lace bra and panties. She looked at the clock. 5:30 a.m. “Are you just now getting home?” She brushed Nicole’s hair over her ear so she could see her face.

“I had paperwork,” Nicole mumbled into the pillow. She just came off what turned out to be an 18 hour shift. 

Waverly still wasn’t used to sharing her bed with Nicole. They had only just decided two weeks ago to start spending the night at each other’s place once or twice a week. Nicole clearly didn’t want to be alone right now. Hopefully nothing had gone wrong over her shift. 

Black Badge and the Purgatory Sheriff’s office were running Nicole ragged. Waverly wanted to talk to her about how she needed to take a break, but right now was certainly not that time. “You just sleep babe. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She leaned down and kissed Nicole on the forehead.

Nicole reached sleepily for Waverly, delicate long fingers stretching towards body heat. Finding her target she lifted her head slightly and opened her eyes and smiled. “Wake me up at noon,” she slurred. Her fingers slipped from Waverly’s arm as fatigue took her again. Her head dipped, then pulled up suddenly to say one last thing. “Remind me. I have to propose to you.” Her head hit the pillow again.

“You have to what?” Waverly’s eyes were big and she suddenly found herself unable to blink. “Nicole? Baby?” 

A soft snore left Nicole; and Waverly laughed nervously. 

“Let me at least get this bra off you. So uncomfortable.” Waverly managed to remove Nicole’s bra and get her positioned under the covers. 

This was earlier than Waverly’s typical waking time, but there was no way she could go back to sleep now. Not with what Nicole just said. And Nicole was already fast asleep and wouldn’t even know the difference. She quietly closed the door and headed downstairs. 

~~~

Pacing back and forth in the kitchen, Waverly glanced back at the clock which now read 11:50. “Propose? What did she mean propose?” 11:51. “Screw it.” 

“Time to get up, Nicole,” Waverly announced a little too loud as she threw open the curtains allowing the midday sun to flood in. The redhead sat bolt up in bed, topless and exposed. 

“Jesus, Waverly. You couldn’t have just given me soft kisses like usual?”

“Sorry, babe,” Waverly winced. She had spent the past six hours turning Nicole’s last words over and over in her mind. Surely she didn’t really mean she wanted to propose to her. They hadn’t even been dating that long. And there’s no way she would have just let that slip out, no matter how tired she was. But now Waverly needed to know. She sat on the bed beside the redhead. “There was something you wanted to ask me?” Waverly asked as she sat on the bed beside Nicole. 

“What?” Nicole asked, confused and still sleepy. 

“Before you fell asleep you said you were going to,” Waverly trailed off.

“Going to what?” 

“You said you were going to propose…” Waverly trailed off looking at her girlfriend. When Nicole didn’t reply she scrambled to finish the sentence. “ ... something.”

“Yes. Right. I have a proposition for you,” Nicole smiled. 

“Oh,” Waverly seemed to deflate a little; but she tried to recover. “A proposition. Good. Good. I thought you said there was some  _ opposition _ .”

“What?” Nicole asked, confused. 

“Nothing.” Waverly smiled. “Really, just don’t listen to me. What is your proposition?”

Nicole yawned and stretched. The six hour sleep she just had felt barely like a nap and was certainly not enough to offset the eighteen hours she endured at work. “Can I talk to you about it over some food? After I shower?”

Waverly smiled. She couldn’t deny Nicole anything, no matter how impatient she was right now about finding out Nicole’s proposition. “Of course. Do you want lunch or breakfast? I can make you either.” 

Nicole softly kissed Waverly on the lips. “Surprise me.” 

Nicole sat down, hair still damp, at the table in the Earp kitchen. Waverly had prepared her a vegan, gluten free, meal. Honestly she couldn’t tell if it was meant to be breakfast or lunch. Most of the things Waverly made for her were just loaded with fresh fruits and veggies. She grabbed a small handful of blueberries and began popping them into her mouth. 

Waverly waited, elbows on the table and legs curled up in the chair, for Nicole’s proposition. 

“What?” Nicole asked. She had a mouthful of food when she noticed Waverly just staring at her. 

“Proposition?” Waverly said.

“Right.” Nicole swallowed the mouthful of food and wiped her lips. She smiled sweetly. “How would you like to go on an all expenses paid trip to the U.S.?”

Waverly wasn’t expecting that. “Oh.” She straightened up in the chair. And she certainly didn’t understand why Nicole was being so cryptic.”Um, did you join a muli-level marketing scheme and are you trying to sell me a timeshare?”

Nicole laughed. “No. Sorry. That did come off a little game showy.” She moved around the table and sat in the chair next to Waverly. “Black badge is sending me to a week long training conference in the States. The invitation said that partners and spouses were welcome, encouraged even. They have a ton of fun activities lined out so you won’t be bored while I’m in training.” 

“That sounds amazing,” Waverly got really excited. “Where in the States? Los Angeles? Washington DC? Chicago? Oh my god, New York!” Her excitement grew with each guess. 

Laughing, Nicole had to bring her down to reality. “Sorry, babe, no. None of those really awesome places. But it’s an even more awesome place if you like nature.” Nicole got very sing-songy with the last four words.

“I don’t not like nature,” Waverly said. “But I do love day spas and shopping and going to shows at night. Why can’t it be New York?”

“Well, you’re in luck. I think The Lodge has a day spa.”

“Lodge?” Waverly asked. “This is sounding less Broadway and more summer camp. Do lodges have room service? And where is it, exactly?”

“Not lodges,” Nicole said, “The Lodge, capitalized. It’s in the middle of the Kootenai National Forest and it’s operated by Black Badge.” 

“I’m not sure that’s my idea of exciting. Capitalized or not,” Waverly said. “Besides, if it’s for Black Badge you’ll be in training all day, I’ll hardly see you.” 

“But my evenings and nights will be free,” Nicole tried to convince her girlfriend. “A whole week alone. Without interruptions.” 

As if on cue, Wynonna came shuffling into the kitchen, just up from a long night of drinking. “Which one of you losers drank all my whisky?”

“You drank all your whisky,” Waverly said. “And good morning to you too.” 

Wynonna let go a loud belch. “Whatever.” She exited as fast as she entered now with a bottle of bloody mary mix in hand.

“You know what, a week away sounds great. Even if it is in the middle of the woods.” 

“Um. National Forest,” Nicole said quietly as Waverly took off upstairs as if to start packing immediately.

*****

The Kootenai National Forest is located just inside the U.S. on the Montana/Canada border. A fact that Nicole wasn’t hearing the last of. “‘Trip to the U.S.’, she said. ‘Day spa’, she said. Hrumph. This is basically still Canada. And barely out of the Ghost River Triangle!”

“If you didn’t want to come you could have stayed home,” Nicole teased her over the headset. 

The only way to access The Lodge was via helicopter. Which Nicole was only informed of ten minutes ago when they unexpectedly landed on a small airstrip in the middle of a pasture outside of Eureka, Montana. What Nicole wasn’t told, and what both women were still completely oblivious to, was that The Lodge was located right on the U.S./Canada border on 100,000 acres of top secret, black ops., government land. 

“And miss an opportunity to have you all to myself for a week?” Waverly raised her eyebrows at Nicole. “I don’t think so.” 

Nicole smiled and squeezed Waverly’s hand a little harder. 

The Lodge finally came into view. The helicopter ride had been breathtaking with a bird’s eye view of the snow-covered mountains, swift rivers, and isolated lakes. By the time they de-boarded they were both very glad they had both come. 

The front doors to The Lodge were at least twelve feet tall leading into a grand entryway with a three story vaulted ceiling. The inside was a contrast of red cedar wood and white plaster. It was stunning. Mounts of every sort of endemic wild animal were all over. Some only a head or a bust, some full bodies. The most impressive were entire scenes like three wolves taking down a caribou. Or a grizzly fishing for salmon in a stream that actually flowed across the floor. 

“This place is amazeballs!” Waverly said out loud before she could stop herself. 

“It really is,” Nicole agreed, wide-eyed. 

“Hello,” the tall brunette behind the front desk greeted them. “Welcome to The Lodge, Agent Nicole Haught.”

Nicole looked confused. “You know who I am?” 

“Yes,” the woman smiled. “Black Badge facial recognition software is installed on all the property’s security and surveillance cameras.” 

“Big Brother much,” Waverly blurted out. 

“And welcome to you too, Ms. Waverly Earp,” the woman said. “You are here as Agent Haught’s partner.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Well, I’m not her partner… partner,” Waverly stammered. “Not like I’m her cop partner, or her other, we haven’t really defined our relationship. We’ve only been.” 

“You are registered for this convention as her partner. Registered by Agent Haught,” the desk clerk clarified. 

“Oh. Yes. Right.” Waverly blushed a pale pink. 

“Here is your itinerary, Agent Haught,” the clerk handed Nicole a sealed matte black envelope with the Black Badge logo embossed on the front. “Your orientation will begin promptly at 4:00 p.m.”

“And where will that be…” Nicole started, but the desk clerk cut her off. 

“Itinerary.” 

“Itinerary, yes. Got it.” It was Nicole’s turn to blush. 

“This is a list of all the amenities The Lodge has to offer and the schedule of all voluntary spouse and partner activities for the week.” 

Waverly’s eyes widened as she glanced through the list of amenities: day spa, salon, masseuse, indoor pool, ski lift, personal trainer, and 24 hour room service, just to name a few. She let out a quiet “Squee.” “Forget what I said about New York. I’m gonna be fine here.” 

“The Porter will take you to your room. He can answer any questions you may have about The Lodge or the property.” 

“Thank you,” Nicole smiled and tipped her head at the brunette. 

“Nicole, they have a day spa, and a pool, and there’s skiing. Thank you for bringing me on this amazing getaway.” She leaned in so that the Porter couldn’t hear her, but she forgot to whisper. “Remind me later to thank you properly.” 

Nicole smiled and turned a deeper shade of red than she had just a few minutes ago at the front desk. 

“This room!” Waverly squealed as they walked in. “Look at this bed!” She ran to the edge, lept into the air, twisted, and landed on her back, arms spread wide, in the middle of the downy comforter. 

“Wait ‘til you see the towels and the robes. And this glass door shower is definitely big enough for both of us,” Nicole yelled from the bathroom. 

“Oh yeah?” Waverly popped up. 

“Later, love.” 

“Awe.” 

“I have orientation in less than two hours and I haven’t even opened my Black Badge packet to see what else I have to do today,” Nicole said. She kissed Waverly and pushed her back into the bed. 

The itinerary was relentless. Freshman orientation today until 6:00 p.m. Then up before dawn for 6:00 a.m. wilderness search and rescue hands-on training until midnight. So much for seeing Waverly every evening.  _ Guess I’ll have to make tonight count. _ Nicole thought. 

“So we’ll meet at the bar at 6:00 then have dinner,” Nicole confirmed on her way out to orientation. 

“I’ll just suffer through the list of amenities until then.” 

“I’m sure you will.” 

  
  



	2. Jealousy and Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole lets jealousy get the best of her and Waverly is not having it.

Freshman orientation was as dull as it sounded. Among titillating topics covered were dress code, code of conduct, fitness requirements, drug policies, security clearance level requirements, and the list goes on. But Nicole was so excited to be a part of this cross border, black ops, top secret, task force that she paid rapt attention and took copious notes.

There were a total of eight freshmen in this year’s class. Some were local level law enforcement officers, or LEOs, like Nicole. And some were junior federal agents of Black Badge who just earned their position within the agency. They would be paired up tomorrow for search and rescue training. Part of their “leave no man behind” mission statement. Their superiors made sure to warn them of the penalties they would incur if they were late or ill prepared for training. Nicole would have to take even more time out of her short schedule with Waverly to triple check her survival bag before she went to bed.

_ At least we got out a bit early. _ Nicole said to herself as she headed toward the bar at 5:30 to meet Waverly. An involuntary smile stretched across her face as she walked. When she got within eyesight she spotted Waverly, sitting at the bar, enjoying some kind of pink drink with a skewer of fruit. The smile across Nicole’s face spread even wider. She paused in the doorway for a moment to admire her girlfriend. They hadn’t been dating long, just a few months, and Nicole still couldn’t believe her luck. She resolved herself to a life of loneliness if she wanted to serve in a small town. It was hard enough to find women to date in the big city when she was in the academy, she imagined it would be impossible in a small town like Purgatory. But somehow she had found Waverly. 

As she watched, her smile melted and her brow furrowed. Among the smiling and laughing Waverly reached out to the man sitting next to her at the bar and lightly touched his arm. Her fingertips lightly skimming his skin. A touch Nicole thought was reserved for her and her alone. All of Nicole’s insecurities came rushing back. Was Waverly having second thoughts about being with a woman? Had she rather be with a man? Is this happening again? 

Niclole was firmly rooted in her own sexuality. She was a lesbian, no doubt in her mind or soul. She had dated a boy or two in her teens, as expected. But she knew what she was and that she wanted no part of the male experience. But Waverly wasn’t a lesbian, necessarily. She had only ever dated and been with men until Nicole. Nicole knew that Waverly didn’t have to be a lesbian to be with her. She could be bi or simply not care about the gender of the person she was with. But Nicole couldn’t help but feel some sense of insecurity when she saw Waverly tenderly brushing her fingertips on this man’s forearm. 

She turned on her heel and headed up to the room. 

“Shit!” Nicole said as she checked her phone upon exiting the shower. It was now 6:45 and Waverly had texted and called a total of 12 times. Nicole had triple checked her rescue bag, hoping the menial activity would take her mind off of Waverly and the man at the bar. It hadn’t. So she decided to take a shower before heading back downstairs for dinner. She lost all sense of time in the seemingly endless supply of hot water. The whole bathroom was filled with steam but all the tension she had tried so hard to wash away came rushing back. 

_ Sry Lost track of time brt  _ She texted Waverly.

“Where were you?” Waverly greeted Nicole with a peck on the cheek when she finally made it down to the bar at 7 p.m., an hour late. 

“Sorry. We got out a little early so I went straight to the room to check my rescue bag for tomorrow’s exercise,” Nicole lied. “Then I thought I should clean up before dinner and I guess time just got away from me in that amazing shower.” Nicole laughed nervously. 

Waverly wasn’t wholeheartedly buying it, but she was glad Nicole finally made it. “Well, you’re here now. You want to have a drink before dinner?” 

“No,” Nicole answered a little too fast. “I have an alarm set for 4 a.m. and I can’t risk being hungover at all.” 

“Jeez, Nicole,” Waverly said. “I just meant one drink, not a Wynonna style trip to the bar.” 

“You’ve already had a few, Waverly. How long have you been at the bar anyway?”

Waverly let go of Nicole’s arm and stepped back, putting some space between them. “You mean other than the hour that you’re late?”

Nicole felt like such an asshole. Why couldn’t she let this go and trust Waverly? “I’m sorry. Waves. I didn’t mean to leave you down here by yourself.” The apology sounded sincere enough, but the last part seemed back handed.

“It’s fine, Nicole. Whatever,” Waverly said, a little put out and completely skipping the fact she hadn’t been alone the whole time. “I know you’re here for work and you want to make a good impression. I get it. It’s just not like you to be late and not let me know what’s up.” 

“I’m sorry. Let’s just have dinner,” Nicole finally said. 

While being shown to their table, Nicole spotted the man Waverly had been sitting with at the bar. He was now with a group of men and women at a large table across the restaurant. Waverly saw Nicole focus her attention across the room and on the man at the table, but waited until they were seated to bring it up.

The waiter brought them water and took their orders. They had some time before being interrupted again. “What time did you get out of orientation?” Waverly asked. “You said you got out a little early and went to the room.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Nicole said. “Around 5:30 or so.” 

“And you went straight to the room?” 

“I told you, I had to recheck my rescue bag for tomorrow’s exercise.” Her tone was defensive.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Waverly pointed out. 

“What’s gotten into you, Waverly?” Nicole attempted to deflect her own suspicions. 

“Into me?” Waverly asked. “I don’t even know you right now, Nicole. You’re acting super sketchy. Jealous, if I didn’t know better.”

“Better than what?” Nicole asked. 

“Better because I can’t imagine what I’ve possibly done to make you that way.”

Nicole diverted her eyes. She knew now that she’d made a horrible mistake. Waverly was a lot of things, but a cheater wasn’t one of them. 

“I saw you looking at him,” Waverly said and nodded toward the table across the way. “Did you see me sitting with him at the bar? Did you assume something? Do you trust me so little?” 

“I saw you touch him,” Nicole admitted. 

“Touch him?” Waverly said a little too loud. 

Nicole was visibly uncomfortable with Waverly’s speaking volume. “Can we not do this here?” 

“How about you stay here and have dinner by yourself and I’ll go upstairs and enjoy the shower. By myself. And maybe when you get up there we’ll be able to have a conversation under conditions you’ll be more comfortable with. 

Waverly took her cloth napkin from her lap and threw it onto the table. “And take your time.” 

“Fuck!” Nicole said under her breath. “I’m such an idiot.” 

She gave Waverly an hour then headed back up. A room service tray sat empty on the floor outside their door. Nicole looked at the “to go” box in her had.  _ Guess she won’t need this. _ She thought. 

Nicole heard the shower as soon as she stepped into the room. Should she go in and join her? Try to make up that way? No. They needed to talk first. She settled in a chair next to the window and admired the snow and trees and tranquility of the landscape. 

Waverly finally emerged from the shower. A cloud of steam boiled out when she opened the door to the bathroom. She was wrapped in one of the luxurious Lodge towels and her wet hair hung long and loose around her face. 

“I know you wouldn’t cheat on me, Waverly. I’m such an idiot for thinking otherwise,” Nicole said to Waverly before she could stop herself. 

“Little bit,” Waverly didn’t hesitate to agree. She dressed quickly in some comfortable, warm pajama pants, thick socks, t-shirt and hoodie. Nicole tried to divert her eyes and give her some modicum of privacy, but she failed miserably. She couldn’t keep her eyes off her girlfriend. 

As soon as Waverly was dressed Nicole decided it was safe to speak again. “I’m sorry, Waves. I’m a complete fool not to trust you. I came to the bar and I saw you laughing and smiling with that guy. Then I saw you reach over and touch his arm. It ran all through me.”

“So your solution was to come to the room and make me wait an hour for you, alone, at the bar?” Waverly asked. 

“I’m sorry” was all Nicole could reply. 

“Fuck your apology, Nicole.” Waverly’s terse response was unexpected and caught Nicole off guard and she stared at Waverly with big eyes. “I don’t want you to apologize a million times for your behavior. I want you to explain to me what I’ve ever done to make you not trust me.”

“Sorr…” Nicole stopped herself before apologizing yet again. “You haven't done anything. I swear, it’s not you, it’s me.”

“Ha,” Waverly scoffed. 

“Sometimes I think you’ll get tired of me, tired of being with a woman, and you’ll decide to go back to men.” 

Waverly looked immediately insulted. “Wow. Okay. First of all, Nicole, I’m not with you because you’re a woman. I’m with you because I want to be with you. No matter your gender. Secondly, how would you have reacted if that had been a woman at the bar? Would you have acted differently? Would you have confronted it head on?” 

“Waves, I, just. I’m insecure.”

“You don’t trust me.” 

“I don’t trust you because I’m insecure,” Nicole said. 

“I think maybe you need to work on that,” Waverly said. She got up and went to the dresser to grab her bikini and then to the bathroom and got the thick turkish bathrobe and houseshoes. “I’m going to the hot tub for a bit. I know you have a very early and long day tomorrow so I’ll be quiet when I come back. But don’t wait up for me.” She grabbed a bottle of water from the table by the door. 

Nicole’s heart was breaking and her face was betraying every desire to conceal her emotions. 

Waverly paused in the open doorway. “We’re okay, Nicole. I’m not leaving you. I just need some space and you need time to think about  _ you _ before we can talk about us. I didn’t put up with jealous men and I won’t put up with a jealous woman. Especially if I’ve done absolutely nothing to make you suspicious.” 

She disappeared through the door and Nicole wondered how she would ever get any sleep for tomorrow’s big day. She grabbed the other bottle of water off the table and drank it down while fighting tears.    


*****

Nicole’s 4 a.m. alarm rang out like a siren in the quiet room. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Reaching for Waverly she found only empty bed. It didn’t even look like she ever came back to the room last night. 

“You really fucked up, Nicole,” she said aloud. “Get your shit together and don’t blow this training too.” 

She splashed water on her face, dressed, checked the essentials of her rescue bag one more time, and headed down for breakfast. 

“Morning, Haught,” another freshman greeted Nicole as she made her way into the breakfast area. 

“Morning, Lee,” she replied. 

She grabbed a tray, plate, and utensils and got in line. 

“You look like shit, Haught,” Walker said filing in behind her. He was another freshman and the one Nicole sat by in orientation. They bonded yesterday and developed a relationship quickly. 

“Thanks,” she flashed a ‘fuck you’ one sided smile his way. 

They filled their plates and sat down to eat.

“I royally fucked up last night,” Nicole finally said. 

“What’d you do? Find a little side piece while the girlfriend was getting her nails done?”

“NO!” Nicole was genuinely insulted.

“Sorry,” Walker said. “I’m just not sure how you had time to royally fuck up other than cheating on your honey.” 

“I accused her of cheating on me,” Nicole admitted. “Or at least that she was flirting. Either way, she’s still pissed at me because she never came back last night after our fight. I woke up to an empty room and half an unslept in bed.” 

“Huh,” Walker said. His tone was curious, not dismissive and it set off a warning siren in Nicole’s gut. 

“What is it, Walker?”

“Laurie wasn’t in the room when I woke up. I assumed she just got up early to hit the gym. But she wouldn’t get up before 4:00 to do that.” 

“Something sounds off here, Walker. I think we need to inform our superior officers.” 

“I think you may be right.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying so far. 
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @masters_jd and we can chat, you can suggest prompts, or ask me questions.


	3. Ready, set, rescue.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and a fellow agent learn the links Black Badge will go to test their capabilities.

Waverly yawned and stretched then reached across the bed for Nicole. Finding it empty she assumed she slept through the 4 a.m. alarm and missed saying “bye” to Nicole for the day.

“Fine, I didn’t need you to kiss me goodbye,” she mumbled into her pillow, never bothering to open her eyes. “Why’s it so cold in here?” She tugged the blankets up and over herself, creating a cocoon. “Wait. I don’t remember coming back to the room last night.” She kicked off the covers and sat up to look around.

As soon as she opened her eyes, Waverly began to panic. This was not her room at The Lodge. This wasn’t  _ any _ room at The Lodge! She was in what appeared to be a log cabin. The bedroom was small and scantily decorated- there was the bed she was in, a cedar chest, and not much else. The door to the rest of the cabin was closed so she couldn’t see what lay beyond. 

Rushing to the window she saw only snow and trees as far as her line of sight allowed.

“Fuck me, I’ve been kidnapped!”

*****

Haught and Walker ran into the ready room where they were to receive search and rescue mission details in an hour. 

“Sir,” Haught called to the superior officer standing in front of the podium. “Agent Walker and I have reason to believe something has happened to Waverly and Laurie, our significant others.”

The commanding officer just looked at Nicole, emotionless. 

“Sir,” she said again in a stronger tone. “We think they’ve been kidnapped.” 

The commanding officer looked at his watch then made some notes on the pad of paper in his hands. “And it took the two of you an hour to figure out your loved ones were missing. Murphy and Grant have been here since just after 4:00 waiting for you. See, they couldn’t start the mission without you.” 

Nicole and Agent Walker looked over at the other two freshman who were sitting anxiously with their rescue bags at their sides. 

“Murphy, Walker,” the commanding officer began. “Your wives, Barbara and Laurie, are being held in a remote location south of The Lodge. Haught, Grant, your partners, Waverly and Micheal, are being held north of The Lodge. You are being scored individually, and Murphy and Grant are ahead of the two of you.” He gave Nicole and Walker a look of disappointment.

“Nothing motivates a rookie more than making them rescue someone they love. On the same token, nothing causes them to act on emotion rather than skill and training more than a loved one being in danger. Keep that in mind as you make decisions along your way. Don’t let your emotions outweigh your training and common sense.”

“Each pair is together in the same location; however, that doesn’t mean you have to work as a team to find them. You can break off from your partner and go it alone if you feel that is to your advantage. You may find clues along the way, if you stay on the right course.” 

He handed each freshman a packet. “You each have a topo map of the surrounding area. Your targets are located somewhere within the scope of the map. You also have a flare gun. If you get lost, wounded, or otherwise give up shoot a flare and we will send a rescue team for you. If you make it to where the targets are held we’ll know and we’ll come pick you all up.”

“Your loved ones have enough supplies for two days. That’s two days of food, water, and fuel, if they don’t conserve. If they are smart enough to conserve those resources they can make it stretch longer. If you are unable to find them by Saturday, they will be retrieved and brought back to The Lodge and you will be dismissed from Black Badge. If you give up or fail for any reason, you will be dismissed from Black Badge.” 

The four freshmen stared at one another and then at the superior officer. 

“Clock’s running, rookies!”

With that, both teams shot out of The Lodge and headed north and south toward their loved ones. 

*****

Waverly took an inventory of the room. The bed had old flannel sheets and a couple of quilts. There were no mirrors or framed pictures on the walls. The cedar chest contained her bikini and robe, neither of which she ever bothered to put on last night, and her house shoes. She was still dressed in her pajamas. A quick look under the bed yielded only a chamber pot. “EWW!” The only thing she found she could remotely use as a weapon was a small piece of firewood. 

Grabbing the stick of wood like a bat with her right hand and resting it on her shoulder, she checked the door with her left hand. It was unlocked. She slowly opened the door. A high pitched, but quiet creak came from the hinges and Waverly winched. 

“Come on out,” a familiar male voice called to her. “Black Badge has kidnapped us.”

“Micheal?” This was the man she waited at the bar with last night. 

Waverly went out into the rest of the cabin. As far as she could tell there were three rooms: two bedrooms and one open area which comprised the living room and kitchen. There was no indoor bathroom. 

“How did we get here?” she asked. “And how do you know what happened?”

Micheal handed Waverly a black envelope. It was like the one Nicole received upon check in. Waverly found one sheet of paper inside; she quickly scanned it. 

“They drugged us and brought us out here for our significant others to find us?!” Waverly was not happy. “We’re their search and rescue mission?” 

“Looks that way,” Micheal answered. “They left us with two days worth of rations, but if we’re smart we can stretch them a few days. The real limiting factor will be keeping warm. We have a wood stove and a bit of firewood, but not much else.”

“Is the front door locked? Are we trapped inside?” Waverly rushed over to check the only door leading out. It was unlocked. “Can’t we just go out and get more wood?” 

“Sure, for a few minutes, until we get frostbite. They didn’t leave us with any protective clothing or gear.” Micheal nodded toward his house shoes, identical to the ones Waverly was now wearing. “I think we can easily gather snow and melt it for more water, but even that will be tough as there aren’t a lot of things to store it in. They’ve really hobbled us. Best thing we can do is stay here.” 

Waverly went over to the pile of supplies on the countertop. “At least my food is vegan,” she said as she studied one of the drab grey packets. There were a dozen MREs, two gallon jugs of water, and no other food. 

She flopped down in the chair across from Micheal . “Well,” she said. “Oridinarily, I’d say ‘If anyone can find me, it’s Nicole. But after the night we had, I’ll be lucky if she even wants to come look for me.” 

*****

“I think it’ll be better if we stick together,” Nicole said to Agent Grant. “Nicole, by the way.” 

“Jacob,” Agent Grant shook Nicole’s extended hand. 

Nicole recognized Jacob from freshman orientation, obviously, but she also recognized him as one of the people at the large table with the man Waverly had been with at the bar.

“Who are you going to rescue?” she asked. 

“Micheal, my boyfriend.” Jacob smiled. “Fiance, actually. And you?”

“Waverly.” Nicole hung her head and let out a deep sigh. “But after last night, I’m not sure she even wants me to rescue her. And either way she’s gonna kill me. I promised her a week away from home with day spas and room service. Now she’s in the middle of nowhere with two days worth of food and water with a complete stranger.” 

“I don’t think she’s with a  _ complete _ stranger,” Jacob said. “Micheal mentioned someone named Waverly he met at the bar last night. He said she was sweet and they hit it off right away. That she reminded him of his baby sister.” 

“Oh god,” Nicole said. “I’m such a fucking idiot.” 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” Nicole answered. “We need to get a look at this map and get moving. It’ll be daylight soon and we need all the time we can get to move through this snow.” 

Nicole spread her map out on the ground and the agents took a knee to examine it. The contour lines and varying shades of green and tan weren’t lost on them. Each was well equipped to use this type of tool. 

“We’re flanked east and west by large rivers,” Jacob said. “My gut tells me they are located somewhere between the two landmarks.” 

“Mine too,” Nicole agreed. “Civilization, minimal as it is, is too close to the rivers on the far sides. They want to keep these training exercises as far away from prying eyes as possible.”

“Well that narrows down roughly one fifth of our search area,” Jacob tried to be positive. 

“How do you think they transported them?” Nicole asked. “It didn’t snow last night. So any tracks would still be visible.” 

“They wouldn’t have left tracks,” Jacob said. “Or if they did, it may be a red herring. My money is on helicopter.” 

“You think they told them what was going on?” Nicole asked. 

“I don’t know. What really puzzles me is how they got Micheal without waking me. I’m a very light sleeper, especially when I’m not in my own bed. What about you?”

“Irrelevant. Waverly left before bedtime and never came back to the room,” Nicole said. “We had a terrible fight. I  _ caused _ a terrible fight. So they must have gotten her down at the hot tub. That’s where she said she was going. But what I don’t understand is how I managed to fall asleep. When she left my mind was racing and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep at all until she came back.”

“I know they’re sneaky, but taking my fiance from my bed without me even knowing? That’s some next level stealth,” Jacob said. 

The events of last night flashed through Nicole’s mind. “We were drugged,” Nicole said. “And so were they. Did you drink the bottled water on the table?”

“We both did.” 

“That had to be it. Waverly grabbed a bottle on her way out and I drank the last one.” Nicole thought for a minute. “And those bottles weren’t there when I left for dinner. They were put there while Waverly and I were both downstairs. Brief though it was.” 

“How did they know we’d drink the water?” Jacob asked. “That seems like a big risk.” 

“Maybe they had a backup plan? It is Black Badge after all,” Nicole said. “Doesn’t matter now. Sun’s coming up and we need to head north.” 

They folded up the map after choosing a valley path north between two mountain ranges. They hedged their bets that wherever Waverly and Micheal were being held was most likely between the two rivers. Other than that, they hoped to get lucky and find a clue soon. 

*****

Waverly was restless. She fidgeted in her chair and changed position for the millionth time. “They couldn’t have left us a book or two?” she finally said. 

“Probably thought we’d use them for kindling,” Micheal laughed. “And we probably would.” 

“Well I have to do something,” Waverly said. “I’m going to go crazy cooped up in here for however many days it takes them to ‘rescue’ us. I’m gonna look around and see if I can find anything useful.” 

“If you find something let me know,” Micheal said, not leaving the comfort of his seat. 

Waverly searched the small cabin. There weren’t many places to look as there were no closets anywhere in the cabin and only two cabinets and one drawer in the small kitchen. After only a few minutes she came back with what she thought was a very useful find. 

“Plastic bags?” Micheal was less than impressed. 

“We can use them to keep our feet dry in the snow,” Waverly said. Micheal just looked at her. “Weren’t you ever poor? Come on, we used to do this all the time as kids.” 

“That’s fine,” Micheal said. “But all we have are those hotel house shoes. Even with the bags our feet will freeze. And there’s only two.” 

“I just want to scout outside a bit,” Waverly said. “Besides, I didn’t see any indoor plumbing in here, so there’s probably an outhouse. And I kinda need to find it.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I always love comments and reply to each and every one. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter @masters_jd using handle JMDeLoach


	4. Riddles and Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Agent Grant continue the search while Waverly and Micheal make the best of a bad situation. But solving BBD's riddles gives both Nicole and Waverly the time they need to reflect on their recent troubles.

It was now mid-day and Nicole and Jacob had put a good bit of distance between them and The Lodge. They picked the easiest route they could find using the topo map, a valley that headed north, slightly north-west. Despite the relative ease of the valley path, as opposed to traversing mountain ranges, it was still slow going. The snow was deep and the untamed wilderness was scattered with hazards like downed trees and slippery rock outcroppings. 

“We should stop and eat lunch,” Nicole said, breathing heavy. Both agents were in peak physical condition, but six hours of humping an eighty pound rescue pack through deep snow still took it out of you.

“Good idea.”

“I think we need to look at the map again,” Nicole said. “Right now we’re looking for a needle in a haystack with nothing more to go on than ‘north’.” 

Jacob pulled out his topo. They quickly located where they were and marked it on his map as “L1” for “lunch stop 1.” 

“Any idea?” he asked Nicole. 

“One,” she said. “I keep thinking about the fact that they only gave Waverly and Micheal two days of supplies. I’m taking that to mean we really should be able to find them in one day.”

“You think we should find them today?” Jacob asked, not at all buying her theory.

“I think we  _ could  _ find them in one day,” Nicole clarified. “Not saying we will.”

“So if we,” Micheal trailed off and picked his pen back up, “draw a line across here.” He eyeballed roughly the same amount of distance north from where they were now that they had traveled so far today. “If we assume we are half-way, distance wise, for today then that is the latitude you believe they are below?” 

“Something like that,” Nicole said. 

“Even with the rivers flanking east and west that still leaves a pretty large search area,” Jacob said. 

“I know,” Nicole said. “But it’s the best we have to go on. And where are those clues they promised us?”

“He only said there would be clues if we were on the right track,” Jacob said. 

“We haven’t gone far enough to be on the wrong track,” Nicole laughed. 

*****

“I’m going to have half of one of my MREs,” Waverly told Micheal. “You want the other half?”

“No thanks,” he replied. “I’m worried enough about what the non-vegan options taste like, much less those.” 

“Suit yourself.” 

“When are you going to tell me about the fight you and Nicole had last night?” Micheal asked out of the blue. 

“Is it that obvious?”

“I put two and two together,” he smiled. “And you basically said so earlier.” 

Waverly put the MRE back on the counter, her appetite suddenly lost. She came back over to her chair where she had now nested in the quilts and pillows from her bed. “Since we don’t have anything else to pass the time.” She took in a deep breath and settled in. 

“Let me preface this by saying that Nicole is not a jealous person,” Waverly started. “She isn’t an asshole, although she’s gonna sound like it. But she’s not.” 

Micheal raised an eyebrow as if to say “if you say so.” 

“She saw us at the bar,” Waverly started. “I guess she saw me touch your arm and she kinda got the wrong impression.” 

“But she’s not jealous,” Micheal quipped. 

“Okay,” Waverly conceded, “she is apparently jealous. But she’s not usually like that. This was the first time I’ve ever seen her that way. I mean,” Waverly paused. “This was our first fight.” 

“All over little ol’ me?” 

*****

“So what happened between you and Waverly last night?” Jacob asked. 

“Excuse me?” Nicole stopped in her tracks. 

Jacob stopped before he ran into Nicole. “You said ‘after last night’ you didn’t know if she’d even want you to rescue her.” Nicole just stared at him. “Look, we’re just walking here. Need to pass the time somehow. Maybe I can help? At least provide an ear.” 

Nicole sighed. “I was an idiot. A jealous idiot. I saw her at the bar with a man. They were laughing and talking and then she reached out and touched him on the arm. I took it to be flirting. But, it turns out the man was your fiance, Micheal.”

“Oh. Awkward,” Jacob said. 

“I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never reacted like that. But then again, I’ve never really been anywhere with Waves outside of the small town where I know she has no interest in anyone. I saw her with him and I suddenly got insecure and I now realize my biggest fear is that she will leave me for a man.”

“I take it she dated men before you?” 

“Exclusively,” Nicole said. “And I never thought I’d fear her leaving me for a man. But then last night. Either way, I was a horrible person and I left her in the bar for an hour after I said I’d meet her.” 

“That’s not the worst thing in the world.” Jacob was trying to make her feel better. 

“It felt like the worst thing in the world last night,” Nicole confessed. “But, moving forward, I should trust that Waverly is with me, for me,” Nicole said. “Not because of my gender. And if something does happen between us, I need to trust it will be because we are humans with feelings, not because I’m a woman.”

“Feelings aren’t rational,” Jacab offered. “Don’t beat yourself up too bad. You saw something that evoked an emotion and you acted on it. Hindsight’s 20/20 so you can rationalize it now. But it sounds like you know what you need to work on. And from what Micheal said about Waverly, sounds like she’ll be patient while you work on it.” 

“I hope so,” Nicole said. “If I’ve screwed this up with my jealousy I’ll never forgive myself.” 

“Hey, what’s that?” Jacob pointed ahead to a red cylinder hanging head high in a tree. 

“Maybe that’s our first clue,” Nicole was hopeful. “About time we got some good news.” 

*****

“I just feel awful about how I reacted to Nicole’s jealousy,” Waverly told Micheal. “I left her alone at dinner.” 

“I saw,” Micheal said. 

“Yeah, well, I left the room after she came back up. I told her to fix herself and then we could work on us.”

“Oh, yeah, that is,” Micheal hesitated, “pretty bad.” 

“I know! I was horrible to her. And then I managed to get myself kidnapped.” 

“To be fair we were drugged,” Micheal joked. “And speaking of that, these Black Badge assholes had this planned all along? Why kidnap us? Why not just tell us about their plan and let us stay at The Lodge while Nicole and Jacob searched for us? They could have left a big ‘congratulations’ banner over the cabin for when they found it.”

“Right?” Waverly agreed. “I’d much rather be in the day spa right now than this horrible place.” Waverly hugged her legs as she drew them up and into her chest and rested her chin on her knee. 

“It’ll all be okay, Waverly,” Jacob reassured her. 

“I just want to tell her I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I shouldn’t have left her alone and told her to work on herself. I should have stayed and worked through it with her.” 

*****

Jacob grabbed the canister from the tree and examined it. “Looks like one of those things they send through the tubes at the bank drive through,” he said. 

“You gonna open it or analyze it?” Nicole asked. 

Jacob twisted open the end, retrieved a piece of paper from the cylinder and read aloud. “Shielded from the setting sun with a view of the knight’s wetted tongue, your quarry wait.” 

“Didn’t think Black Badge would be much for riddles,” Nicole said. 

“I think they’re up for anything that gets them the results they want.”

“Maybe we should break here and try to figure this out,” Nicole suggested. 

“Agreed.” 

They dropped their packs and pulled out their maps. 

“‘Shielded from the setting sun’ sounds like they may be on the east facing side of one of these mountain ranges,” Jacob said. 

“Or in the shadow of one,” Nicole offered. “But what about the ‘knight’s wetted tongue?” 

“I have no idea.” 

“I’m thinking some natural feature. Is there a mountain around here named after a famous knight?” Nicole asked. 

“I don’t know any famous knights. You?” 

“Lancelot?”

“Well let me know if you find Mount Lancelot on your topo map,” Jacob joked. 

“I say we set up camp here for the night,” Nicole said. “We don’t have a lot of daylight left and if we head in the wrong direction before we solve this riddle, it’ll be a lot of backtracking to fix it.” 

*****

“It’s getting dark,” Waverly said. “I’m going to the outhouse while I can still see.”

“Holler if you see a bear or anything,” Micheal joked. 

“Ha ha.”

After what Micheal thought was more time than Waverly needed for a trip to the outhouse, he heard a high pitched squeal emanating from the west side of the cabin. He ran out in the snow with a stick of firewood for a weapon, only to find Waverly smiling like a Cheshire cat. 

“You scared the shit out of me, Waverly! I thought you  _ did  _ see a bear!”

“Well I’m glad to know you have my back,” she winked at him.

“What are you squealing about?” he asked. 

“I found something. I’m sure it will help Nicole and Jacob find us; I just have to figure out how.”

*****

“I think I found something,” Nicole shouted to Jacob. 

He put his bowl down by the firepit and moved over closer to where Nicole was looking at the map. 

“Here,” she said and shined her light toward a spot on the map in the northeastern corner of what they had designated as the search area. “There’s a small lake here, it’s called Horsehead Lake. The knight on a chess board is usually a horse’s head. I think they’re somewhere near there.” 

Jacob looked closer and moved the folded map around under the light. “It does kinda resemble a horse’s head if you squint and turn the map upside down. But it isn’t labeled. How do you know its name?”

“Back at The Lodge they had some of those 3D topo maps framed and hanging along the hallway. I was bored between orientation sessions and I read the plaques. I remember this one because I thought it would be funny to add a unicorn horn.” Nicole shyed off at the end of her statement. 

“What is it with unicorns?” Jacob asked. “I’m more of a minotaur man myself.” Nicole just looked at him. “I mean, if we’re ranking mythological creatures.” 

“We’re not,” Nicole snapped. 

Jacob returned his attention to the map. “Looks like the creek that feeds the lake is where the horse’s tongue would be. I’m guessing that’s the general area we want to aim for.” Nicole circled the area with her pen.

“Of course they’d use a chess reference. This is just one big game to them. But that’s our target. We’ll have to traverse this mountain range,” Nicole pointed to the map. “But we’ll get to them before noon tomorrow if we choose our path wisely.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all still enjoying this. Leave a comment if you're so inclined. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter @masters_jd and feel free to chat, suggest a writing prompt, or just gain a follower. Let me know it's you!


	5. Falling Down and Making Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Jacob zero in on their target while Waverly does what she can to help them out. But the unrelenting wilderness still has a few surprises to throw at them.

Micheal woke to the sound of material being ripped. He rushed out of bed and into the living room of the cabin to see Waverly tearing her bed sheet into long strips. 

“What are you doing?” he asked. 

“I’m going to soak these in the used motor oil I found yesterday. If we burn them it will send up a black smoke and hopefully Nicole and Jacob will see it and find us.”

“Isn’t that cheating?” he asked. “Sending up smoke signals?”

“I think Black Badge left this container on purpose. They meticulously staged this whole damn thing so it wasn’t accidentally left behind after some routine maintenance or whatever.” Waverly thought for a second. You could practically see the lightbulb form above her head. “You think they’re testing us too? Like they wanted to see if we were smart enough to find something and use it to help Nicole and Jacob find us?”

“I don’t think so,” Micheal said. “I’m not exactly BBD material. They’re not interested in my skill sets.” He went to the kitchen to check the supplies once more for a packet of instant coffee. “Ugh.” He was once again disappointed. “I still don’t see how you found that container.” 

Waverly shrugged her shoulders. “Something told me there was something here that would help us. Just a feeling. It was just sitting there, up against the cabin, protected a bit by the eve. So it was only partially covered in snow.” 

“Why didn’t you see it the other times you went out? You think they planted it last night?”

“This was on the other side of the cabin,” Waverly said. “I was over there yesterday, but I think I just overlooked it. It’s been there since the last snow for sure.” 

“Sounds awfully coincidental that they would have left a container of used oil just sitting beside the cabin.” 

“Don’t look a super secret covert black ops. cross border task force gift horse in the mouth.” 

*****

With camp broken down and a warm breakfast in their bellies, Nicole and Jacob began the arduous task of traversing the mountain range to get to where they were sure Waverly and Micheal were located. 

“We’ll need to hike north another hour or two,” Nicole said, “then we should be able to cross at this gap.” She pointed to the map and Jacob nodded. “It’s a little out of the way, and we’ll have to back track south a bit to get to our search area once we’re across, but it’s the lowest point along this range. And I think we’ll be better off.”

“I agree. I have no desire to cross at a higher elevation in these conditions with the limited supplies we have on hand.” 

“We need to consider how we’re going to search our target area once we’re over the range and close to the lake. We can talk about that on our hike.”

“Yeah,” Jacob said. “Hopefully we’ll get a good view from the top of the ridge and we can scan for structures where they may be holed up.” 

“Wouldn’t that be convenient.” Nicole was skeptical their luck would be that good. “Let’s get moving.” 

After two hours of marching north just to get to the gap, they stopped to rest. It may be the lowest point in the range, but the climb still looked daunting. 

*****

Micheal coughed as small amounts of noxious smoke seeped out of the wood stove and into the cabin. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked Waverly. 

She added another strip of oil soaked fabric to the fire. “They gave us two days worth of rations which means they expect us to be found by day two. This is day two. I know Nicole is close. She’s clever and she’s motivated to find me. I’m just gonna send up our location the only way I have available.” 

Black smoke billowed out from the top of the stove pipe and into the sky. It was a clear day and the signal would be visible for miles. That is, assuming the smoke penetrated the canopy of the evergreens. 

“What if you’re wrong and they’re on the other side of three mountain ranges from here?”

“I’m conserving these and only burning one or two each hour just in case I’m wrong and they aren’t nearby. But they’re nearby. I have to believe that.” 

“This  _ was _ a really good idea,” Micheal conceded. “Despite the horrible smell.”

“Just don’t tell anyone I purposely polluted the environment.” 

“I’m sure anyone would do the same under these circumstances.” 

*****

The two agents reached the top of the gap around midday hungry and in need of rest from the climb. They dropped their packs and grabbed their water bottles. “Lunch?” Jacob asked, out of breath. 

“Yes, I’m famished.” Nicole collapsed in the snow for a rest before getting back up to help gather a bit of wood.

Jacob built a small fire to boil water for rehydrating MREs while Nicole rechecked the map and confirmed their location. 

Nicole scrambled up a nearby boulder for a better vantage point. “I see the lake,” she shouted to Jacob. She turned her attention to the southern end of Horsehead Lake where the feeder creek flowed in from the south. “I can’t see the southern end or the creek. The trees are too thick. No hopes of finding a structure from here. Unless they’re in a tower. And I’m not seeing a tower, soooo.” 

“I say we’ll have them in our arms in three hours,” Jacob bet Nicole. 

“You’re certainly optimistic,” Nicole said. 

“So do we have a bet?” 

“I’m not the betting kind,” Nicole said. “Besides, too many variables out of my control out here.” She put her hand up to shield her eyes. Squinting, she swore she saw something. She brought the binoculars up and dialed them into focus. “Besides, I think you may win that one.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. Come here.” 

Jacob abandoned lunch prep and joined Nicole on the boulder. “There.” Nicole pointed south, toward their search area and handed him the binoculars. “You see that smoke?” It was faint from this distance, but an unmistakable black plume drifted above the trees. 

He focused on the direction Nicole was pointing. “You think that’s them?” he asked. 

“Has to be. This is all Black Badge property as far as we can see, not likely there’s any campers just wandered into the area.”

“Could be a trick,” Jacob said. “Something to throw us off course.”

“Maybe, but it’s where we’re headed anyway. So if we’re wrong about that being them, then we’re completely wrong about where they are.” 

“I think you’re right. It’s them,” Jacob said. “Let’s hurry up and eat so we can rescue our other halves.” 

*****

“I can’t believe you’re downing that MRE like it actually tastes good,” Micheal said to Waverly. 

“I’m pretty hungry, so it tastes better than not eating,” Waverly replied. They each ate only one of their six MRE’s yesterday. Since they had no idea how long they were here for, it seemed sensible. But now that Waverly had more confidence the smoke would help guide their rescuers to them, she scarfed down two of her remaining five. 

“I guess now we just wait?” Micheal asked. 

“Unless you have a deck of cards you didn’t tell me about,” Waverly joked. “Or a smartphone. I’d even settle for a 1000 piece puzzle of a snowed in cabin at this point.” 

*****

Scrambling down the eastern slope of the gap, both Nicole and Jacob slipped and slid more than once. “We don’t have to race there,” Nicole yelled to Jacob who was now some thirty yards ahead of her. 

“I want to make that three hour bet,” he yelled back. 

“I didn’t take that bet,” Nicole yelled down as Jacob put even more distance between them. 

“It’s personal.” 

Nicole slowed her pace. She didn’t need to compete with Jacob, especially about this. There were already enough dangers out here without adding to them. She made wide switchbacks at low angles as she descended and chose her footing carefully. 

“AAARGH,” Jacob screamed from below. He was so far ahead of Nicole now she had lost sight. 

“Jacob!” Nicole yelled. All she heard in return was the snapping of branches and Jacob’s screams of pain. “Fuck.” She sped up a bit but continued to be cautious. 

When Nicole finally reached Jacob he was sitting, leaned back against a large cedar, grimacing in pain. 

“Finally,” he joked, “I thought I was going to have to come get you so you could rescue me.” 

“Well, you know, I just thought I’d take my time while you suffered,” she smiled at her wounded partner. “What’s injured?”

“Besides my pride?” Jacob asked. “Left ankle.” 

Nicole dropped her pack and pulled out the first aid kit. “Let me see.” She palpated the ankle through the boot to get an idea of how much pain Jacob was in. “Does this hurt?” she asked as she gently applied pressure to the top of the ankle. 

“Yep,” he said, holding back another scream. 

“What about this?” she applied the same amount of pressure a little lower. 

“Agh! Yes.” 

“Sorry,” she apologized, but didn’t regret her actions. “Can you push against my hand?” She placed her palm against the bottom of his boot and pressed slightly. Jacob tried to push back. 

“Not really.” 

“Can you pull your toes towards you?” she asked, moving her hand from the sole of his boot to the laces and applying slight resistance. 

“It hurts too much,” Jacob said. “I think it’s broken.” 

“Broken or just really sprained. Either way, I’m not taking that boot off, it’s offering more support than I’ll be able to manage with this first aid kit. But I am going to go ahead and splint it. Here, take this.” She handed him some pills from the kit then pulled out the splints and wrap. She lined the splint up along the sides of Jacob’s boot and wrapped the elastic wrap tightly around and under. “Easy part’s done.” Nicole said. 

“Sorry,” Jacob apologized. “I really fucked up.” 

“Yeah ya did. Apology accepted,” Nicole said, and smiled at her partner. “Hold tight while I figure out how to get us the rest of the way down the mountain.” 

Nicole disappeared for a few minutes and reappeared on the other side of where Jacob was sitting against the cedar. 

“There’s a fairly clear route over there,” she pointed north. “I’m going to tie off to one of these trees and we’re going to get the rest of the way down rappel style.” She tied each of their ropes together so she could go further down the slope with each rappel. 

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Jacob said, “even with the aid of the rope. I can’t put weight on my ankle.” 

“Oh you aren’t rappelling,” she said. “You’re gonna be across my shoulders. But first I’m going to consolidate our packs. I can’t carry you and both of them.” 

Nicole hurried to consolidate food, water, and safety gear into her bag. This meant some things had to go. 

“Who needs the luxury of hot water anyway,” she said as she left the cookware in Jacob’s bag. “And an extra tent? Nope.” She left behind pretty much everything they had duplicates of except water and food. 

Satisfied she had condensed the bag as much as she could, she threw it onto her back, fastened the clips, and tightened all the belts and straps to help hold it securely onto her body. Even with all the consolidating, it now weighed closer to 100 pounds. 

Next, she donned the climbing harness and made sure it was snug and tight. “Now you,” she said as she approached Jacob. She heaved him up from the ground into a dead man’s carry over her shoulders. She let out a groan as his full weight settled into place. “You owe me a drink.” 

“I’ll owe you more than a drink by the time this is done.” 

Nicole clipped on to the rope secured to the cedar tree. It wasn’t long enough to get them to the bottom of the mountain, so she’d have to drop her load, return to where the rope was tied, and move the whole operation down the mountain until they reached the valley below. 

“Ready?” she asked Jacob. 

“So ready.”

They began the controlled descent of the slope with the aid of the rope. Nicole decided on facing downhill so she could better scout and avoid obstacles. This wasn’t a true rappel, but the rope provided a counter weight and something to hold onto as she descended with an extra 250 lbs or so of weight on her back. Two hundred feet down and Nicole laid Jacob on the ground. She unbuckled the pack and set it on the ground beside him. Taking a long pull off the water bottle, then tossing it to him she said, “I’ll be back” in her best Terminator voice. 

Within minutes of disappearing back up into the cedar covered landscape, the rope slowly slinked out of sight as Nicole wound it up. She reappeared at Jacob’s side with his pack and the rope. “Let me find a tree to anchor to and we’ll be off.” She dropped the spare bag and disappeared again. 

Another two hundred feet down and the cycle started over until finally they were at the bottom of the slope and on the level valley floor. 

“Now I rest.” Nicole said as she unbuckled the extra pack from her waist and dropped it on the ground beside Jacob and her bag. She laid in the snow, appreciating the cooling effect and thought about nothing other than getting to Waverly.

*****

“Time to throw another log on the fire,” Waverly said as she opened the door of the woodstove. It had gotten cold in the cabin as they still attempted to ration the wood given they had no idea how long they’d be there. She heaped some fuel on the embers from last round and tossed one of the oil soaked rags on top of that. “This is so disgusting. And so not environmentally friendly. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but desperate times, am I right?”

“Desperate indeed,” Micheal said. “It’ll be dark soon. And those black smoke signals won’t be any use then.” 

“They’ll be here before then,” Waverly said. “I just know it.” 

*****

After an hour’s hike south, Nicole unburdened herself of Jacob and the pack while she went to find a vantage point. She had been watching for the black smoke ever since they hit the valley floor, but it was harder to see from down here. She didn’t have an elevation advantage, and the trees were thick and full. So far, she was just carrying them south and hoping for the best. She spotted her best chance at getting a look around. An ancient tree, stood tall and proud nearby and she decided to climb up for a better view. 

“You’re going to fatigue yourself and fall,” Jacob yelled. He was leaned up on the pack and watching Nicole size up the pine. “You can’t keep carrying me and looking for them. Why don’t you leave me here and come back for me once you’ve gotten Black Badge’s attention.” 

“No can do,” Nicole said. “We don’t even know if we’re on the right track, and even if we did, there’s no way I’m leaving you alone without shelter or a way to defend yourself. You’re not freezing to death on my watch. Besides, that ship sailed when we abandoned your pack and the other tent at the bottom of the slope.”

Nicole shimmied up the tree as far as she needed to scout ahead. She squinted and scanned the horizon for clues. Then, as if on cue, a plume of black smoke wafted up into the sky. 

“I see it,” she called to Jacob. She got out her compass and noted the bearing. She then triangulated using three major features she knew were on the map. 

“We are right here,” Nicole pointed on the map after returning to Jacob. “And the smoke is somewhere along this trajectory.” She drew a line on the map from their current location towards the lake. 

“That goes right through the circle you drew last night,” Jacob said. 

“I think we’re pretty good at this search and rescue business,” Nicole said. 

“You are,” he laughed. “I’m just dead weight.” 

“Nonsense,” Nicole patted him on the shoulder. “You’re just helping me get my workout.” 

*****

As the last rays of sunlight were disappearing behind the mountains, there was a knock at the cabin. Waverly and Micheal both jumped, startled. Then Waverly flew across the room and opened the door. 

“We’ve come to rescue you,” Nicole said, breathless, bruised, and bleeding with Jacob across her shoulders. 

*****

Back at The Lodge, Nicole, Jacob, Waverly, and Micheal each underwent independent medical evaluations and debriefings. After what seemed like hours, they were finally released. 

Back in the safety and privacy of their room, Waverly and Nicole could finally talk. 

“I’m sorry.” They both said at once. 

“What do you have to apologize for?” Nicole asked. “I’m the one who got all jealous and abandoned you at the bar.” 

“Well,” Waverly started, “I’m the one who abandoned you at dinner.” 

“I totally deserved that,” Nicole cut her off. 

“And then abandoned you again in the room when I should have stayed and talked.” 

“This whole mess is all my fault, Waverly. I had no idea I was so jealous and so insecure about you leaving me for a man.” 

“I should have never told you to fix yourself so we could work on us. That was such a dick move on my part.” 

“How about we,” Nicole took a step toward Waverly, “each take responsibility for our actions,” she put her arms around Waverly’s neck, “and we forgive each other,” she kissed Waverly on the forehead, “and we promise,” a peck on the nose, “to work through it,” a gentle kiss on the cheek, “together?”

Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s waist. “That sounds like the best plan ever.” She pulled Nicole in for a kiss. “Oh, did you hear that?” 

“Hear what?” Nicole asked. 

“That shower. It’s calling our names.” With a devilish grin Waverly turned from Nicole and headed toward the bathroom. In one swift motion her shirt was off and dropped to the ground. As she stepped over the threshold she seamlessly stepped out of her pants and left them where they landed. 

Nicole stood, admiring the view, as Waverly disappeared from sight. 

“Now! Haught,” Waverly yelled, pulling Nicole out of her stupor. 

*****

Friday afternoon was there before they knew it. It had been a tough week for the freshman class. The other rescue team that headed south took until Thursday to return with their wives and they were all worse for wear. The four freshmen who hadn’t brought significant others to the conference were still in debriefings, only just returned to The Lodge this morning. Nicole, being the only freshman able to resume training, was placed with the sophomore class for the remainder of the week for extensive training on infiltrating enemy strongholds.

With a successful week under her belt, Nicole waited in the lobby for helicopter evacuation back to civilization. She smiled when she spotted Jacob, who’d been sequestered in med bay since returning. 

“Agent Grant,” Nicole extended her hand to Jaocb. “Good to see you upright.” 

“Thanks for humping me down that mountain and to the target, Agent Haught,” Jacob said. He was now sporting a boot and crutches and seemed to be that certain kind of happy only high octane pain pills can make you. 

Nicole smiled and tipped her head towards Jacob. “You’d have done the same for me. We don’t leave our men behind.” 

Jacob noticed Waverly and Micheal across the lobby chatting it up and laughing. “You would think they would have gotten enough of each other being trapped alone in that cabin for two days.” 

“Nope. I think they’ve made friends for life. And I think she just invited us to your place next summer,” Nicole laughed. 

“And you’re both welcome, any time,” Jacob said. 

“I definitely wouldn’t say no to a week at the beach,” she said. 

“I take it the two of you made up?” he asked. 

“You could say we agreed to wash all our troubles away.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked the story. If you want to leave a comment, please do, I love to read them. And if you want to chat or suggest a story prompt follow me on twitter @masters_jd

**Author's Note:**

> I took some liberty with the geography. Don't try to find this area on an actual map, it doesn't exist, but the Kootenai National Forest does. And it's beautiful. You should look it up. 
> 
> Please leave a comment if you like it or have suggestions or if I royally screwed up canon. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter and feel free to ask me questions or suggest prompts. @masters_jd
> 
> I really hope I did the characters justice.


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